In the recent years, the number of vehicles has increased which are equipped with an electric sliding door apparatus that automatically opens and closes a door opening of the vehicle using electric power. The electric sliding door apparatus includes a sliding door (an opening and closing body) that is attached to a vehicle body (a main body) so as to be slidable (openable and closeable) in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a sliding door driving unit (a drive unit) that slides (opens and closes) the sliding door in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle using electric power. Typically, electric power is supplied to the sliding door driving unit from an in-vehicle energy storage device mounted on the vehicle body.
When the sliding door driving unit is provided in the sliding door, an electric power supply unit is provided so as to electrically connect the in-vehicle energy storage device and the sliding door driving unit, and to supply electric power from the in-vehicle energy storage device to the sliding door driving unit. A shape or a structure of the electric power supply unit is proposed in various forms.
JP 2012-96682A (Reference 1) discloses the electric power supply unit that has a flat cable which electrically connects the in-vehicle energy storage device provided on the vehicle body and the sliding door driving unit provided in the sliding door; a vehicle body-side attachment portion that supports a portion of the flat cable which is mounted on the vehicle body; and a door-side attachment portion that supports a portion of the flat cable which is mounted on the sliding door. Each attachment portion supports the flat cable in such a manner that a longitudinal axis of the flat cable is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a horizontal plane. In doing so, it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the electric power supply unit.
JP 2003-48495A (Reference 2) discloses the electric power supply unit in which wire harnesses are accommodated in a protector to electrically connect the in-vehicle energy storage device mounted on the vehicle body and the sliding door driving unit provided in the sliding door. A substantially annular wall portion is formed in the protector, and auxiliary devices such as an electric motor and the like are accommodated on the inside of the wall portion. The auxiliary devices are connected to end portions of the wire harnesses. In this configuration, not only is a dead space in the protector effectively used, but also the degree of freedom of disposition of the auxiliary devices and the like improves.
The electric power supply unit disclosed in JP 2012-96682A (Reference 1) has a problem in that it takes time and labor to incline the flat cable at the set angle, and thus productivity decreases. Each electric power supply unit disclosed in JP 2012-96682A (Reference 1) and JP 2003-48495A (Reference 2) is configured to connect the vehicle body and the sliding door using the cable. Accordingly, there is a problem in that it is necessary to prepare a solution for the routing of the cable, and in that when a length of the cable is large, electric resistance increases causing a voltage drop during the electric power supply.